Bottle cap



July 12, 1966 N, D, ELLIS 3,260,395

BOTTLE CAP Filed June 5, 1964 @www Ll, LMU, LMU

FIQQ 5M mM/1% United States Patent O 3,260,395 BGTTLE CAP Nicholas D. Ellis, Ladue, Mo., assiguor to Anheuser- Busch, Incorporated, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Filed June 5, 1964, Ser. No. 372,969 7 Claims. (Cl. 21S-46) This invention relates to an improved bottle cap which can be removed from a bottle by hand without the aid of a bottle opener. This bottle cap may be applied to bottles, such as beer or soda bottles, in the conventional manner with existing high speed automatic capping equipment. Further, this bottle cap may be removed if desired by conventional bottle openers which are in use today.

Bottle caps which require no separate opener, or socalled self-opening bottle caps, are generally old and are of different design. Some of these bottle caps have a tongue which extends downwardly from the depending skirt and others have constructions which make them difficult to handle in a hopper and to use on the high speed automatic bottling equipment which exists in many bottling shops or plants today. Others of these selfopening bottle caps have a tongue struck from the metal cap itself which is pulled completely free of the cap when opening, with the result that the remaining portions of the bottle cap are propelled like a rocket and cause property damage or cause personal injury. This frequently happens when the bottle cap is removed rapidly so that the tongue portion remains in the lingers of the person opening the bottle, but the remainder of the bottle cap is free to y upwardly or away from the bottle. Still others cannot be opened in the conventional manner with bottle openers if desired. And others result in the cutting of the fingers with sharp metal edges When opening.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a self-opening bottle cap which can be used in existing bottle cap handling apparatus and bottle cap machines for application to bottles, said bottle cap comprising an outer shell, an inner disc, and a seal adapted to seal the bottle cap to the bottle and to prevent the outer shell and inner disc from separating either before or after the bottle cap is removed. Another object is to provide a self-opening bottle cap, a tongue having a rounded edge which protects the lingers against cutting and which is not pulled off in its entirety, so that the removed bottle cap remains in the hands of the person opening the bottle. This prevents the pressure in the bottle from propelling the cap or parts thereof at great speed. Another object is to provide fewer scores in the depending skirt of the bottle cap hereinbefore described, thereby reducing the possibility of splitting the score during the crowning operation so as to create a leaker. Another object is to provide these advantages in a bottle cap which can be removed by a conventional bottle opener if desired.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent hereinafter.

The present invention is embodied in a bottle cap having an outer shell with a top portion and a depending skirt with crimps therein, said top portion having a pull tongue struck from the material therein, said pull tongue having its edges rounded, there being only one score extending from the pull tongue to the skirt, an inner disc within said outer shell in contacting relation with the outer upper portion of said outer shell, and a sealing material coating beneath said inner disc and extending to the inner surface of the depending skirt of the outer shell, thereby keeping said inner disc in fixed relation with said outer shell to prevent the separation of said parts, said bottle cap having indicia thereon to inform the user how to open the bottle by hand.

The invention also consists in the parts and in the arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed. In the accompanying drawings which form part of this specication and wherein like numerals and symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a bottle cap embodying the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view thereof,

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the inner disc itself after being separated from the bottle cap,

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of said inner disc,

FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along line 5 5 of FIG. l,

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the tongue in partially removed position,

FIG. 7 is a perspective View showing the tongue after the score has been completely pulled through,

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of a modified form of the invention showing the edge of the tongue rolled over on top thereof, and

FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line 9-9 of FIG. 8.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will be seen that the embodiment of the invention which has been illustrated comprises a bottle cap C which requires no opener to remove it from a conventional bottle. Such a bottle cap C is sometimes referred to as a self-opening bottle cap. The bottle cap C comprises an outer shell 1, an inner disc Z, and a seal 3 on the underside of said inner disc 2. The seal 3 extends beyond the edge of the inner disc 2 to contact the inner face of the outer shell 1 and join the inner disc 2 and outer shell 1 together. The outer shell 1 is preferably made from a soft metal such as aluminum. The inner disc 2 is preferably made from tinplate. The seal 3 is made from ya conventional flowable sealing material so that it can be formed in place wit-hin the Ibottle cap or in situ.

The outer shell 1 comprises a circular top portion 4 with a rounded shoulder 5 extending into a depending skirt 6 having a plurality of crimps 7 therein with spaces 8 therebetween. The skirt 6 has -a `bottom edge 9. The skirt 6 is uninterrupted and continuous like skirts used with conventional bottle caps, since the same equipment is used to crimp said skirt on the bottle. The only difference is that the skirt is provided with a single score as hereinafter described. The outer shell l has an upper or outer surface 10 and a lower or inner surface 11. The ftop portion 4 has a tongue 12 struck from the central portion thereof lalong a line 13 which forms the inner edge of an outer or annular portion 11i. The outer edge of the tongue 12 is rebent under the tongue 12 to form a surrounding flange 15, thereby providing the tongue 12 with a rounded edge 16 so that the user will not cut his finger on a sharp edge. The tongue 12 is intended to be within the plane of the outer portion 14 so that the upper surface 17 of the tongue 1'2 is Hush with thev upper surface 18 of the annular portion 14, the upper surfaces 17 and 1S constituting the upper surface 10. The tongue 12 remains perfectly flat in this position until it is raised slightly by tho normal crowning operati-on.

The outer shell 1 is provided with a connecting portion 19 between the tongue 12 and the outer portion 14. A score 20 defines one edge of the connecting portion 19 an-d extends from the end of the line 13 across the outer portion 14 and the shoulder 5 and into the skirt 6. There is either no score at the opposite side of said connecting portion 19 or only a very short one to aid in lifting the tongue 12. This is intended to keep the tongue 12 connected to the bottle cap C at all times, even after the bottle cap C has been removed from `a bottle. The tongue 12 is provided with indicia or markings 21, such as an arrow and the word Twist, to inform the user as to how to remove the bottle cap C from the bottle. The score 20 does not extend radially outwardly but slants so as to be parallel with the line of twist and extends into a space 8 between the crimps 7. The score 20 slants in a direction toward the projected area radially outwardly from the connecting portion 10, and is `simply a thinning of the thickness of the soft metal in the outer shell 1.

The inner disc 2 is provided with an upper surface 22 which contacts the inner or lower surface 11 of the outer shell 1, and is provided with an outer edge portion 23 which contacts the inner surface of the shoulder 5 or depending skirt 6 in contacting relation. If desired, the inner disc 2 may be provided with `a curved edge portion 23 to provide greater area contact with the outer shell 1. The inner disc 2 is provided with the recess or groove 24 which is capable of receiving the annular ange 15 beneath the tongue 12.

The seal 3 is made from a flowable and suitable sealing material, such as latex or a plastic, said seal 3 forming a seal between the bottle cap C and the bottle (not shown), and further sealing the inner disc 2 to the outer shell 1 so that the bottle cap C has all parts 'connected and becomes, in effect, a single unit. The seal 3 is of uneven thickness, there being ribs or an outer annular thickened portion 25 adapted to contact the upper surface of a bottle to seal the bottle cap C to the bottle. The seal 3 continues beyond the edge of the inner disc 2, as at 26, to retain the inner disc 2 and outer shell 1 together.

Removal of this self-opening bottle cap C is believed to be apparent from the foregoing description and drawings. The user simply lifts the tongue 12 and twists, thereby separating the score 20 and slitting the outer shell 1 so that the skirt 6 is free to be lifted upwardly from the bottle. More specically, the user slips his right thumb T under the tongue 12 and graps the tongue 12 between the right thumb T and right forenger and twists. This tears the score 20 to the bottom edge 9 of the skirt 6, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. The tongue 12 remains connected to the outer shell 1 by the connecting portion 19 and the seal 3 maintains the inner disc 2 in fixed relation with the outer shell 1 so that after opening, the user retains the entire bottle cap C in his hand. Thus, neither the bottle cap C nor any portion thereof such as the outer shell 1 or inner disc 2 is propelled upwardly by the pressure within the bottle. Since the user has the tongue 12 in his hand, he also has the entire bottle cap C under his control.

A modication of the bottle cap C is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, wherein the entire construction of the bottle cap C is the same as hereinbefore described, with the exception that no recess is formed in the inner disc 2a or the seal 3a and the flange 15a of the tongue 12 is rolled over on top of the tongue to form the rounded edge portion 16, instead of being rolled beneath the tongue 12.

Thus, the tongue 12 with the rounded edge 16 avoids cutting the fingers of the user and the entire bottle cap C remains in the hands of the person under controlled conditions. No parts with sharp edges are allowed to be propelled at high velocity by the Igas within a beer or soda bottle to cause damage or injury. The present bottle cap C remains in one piece as a unitary construction. Although the present invention is referred to as a bottle cap throughout, it is to be understood that it may be used to cap cans or other containers without departing from the invention herein.

This invention is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for purposes of the disclosure, which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A bottle cap having an outer shell with a top portion and a depending skirt, said top portion having a tongue in the central portion thereof, said tongue having its edges rebent to form a rounded edge therearound, said top portion having an outer portion outwardly from and in the plane of said tongue, said tongue joined to said outer portion along a connecting portion, a score extending along one side of said connecting portion from the edge of said tongue across said outer portion and into said skirt, an inner disc positioned within said outer shell in contacting relation with said outer portion of said outer shell, said inner disc being in parallel relation with said tongue, a seal beneath said inner disc extending to the inner surface of the depending skirt of the outer shell, thereby maintaining said inner disc in xed relation with said outer shell to prevent the separation of said parts, and indicia on said bottle cap for informing the user of the proper direction of twist of said tongue to effect removal of said bottle cap from a bottle.

2. A bottle cap having an outer shell with a top portion and a depending skirt with crimps therein, said top portion having a tongue struck from the central portion of the material therein, said tongue having its edges rebent to form a rounded edge therearound, said top portion having an outer portion outwardly from and in the plane of said tongue, said tongue joined to said outer portion along a connecting portion, a score extending along one side of said connecting portion from the edge of said tongue across said outer portion and into said skirt, an inner disc positioned within said outer shell in contacting relation with said outer portion of said outer shell, said inner disc having a recess therein for receiving the rebent edge of said tongue, a seal beneath said inner disc extending to and contacting the inner surface of the depending skirt of the outer shell, thereby maintaining said inner disc in xed relation with said outer shell to prevent the separation of said parts, and indicia on said bottle cap for informing the user of the proper direction of twist of said tongue to effect removal of said bottle cap from a bottle.

3. A bottle cap having an outer shell with a top portion and a depending skirt with a curved shoulder therebetween, said top portion having a tongue struck from the central portion of the material therein, said tongue having its edges rebent to form a rounded edge therearound, said top portion having an outer portion outwardly from and in the plane of said tongue, said tongue joined to said outer portion along a connecting portion, a score extending `along one side of said connecting portion from the edge of said tongue across said outer portion and curved shoulder and into said skirt, an inner disc positioned within said outer shell in contacting relation with said outer portion of said outer shell, said inner disc having a recess therein for receiving the rebent edge of said tongue, a seal beneath said inner disc extending to and contacting the inner surface of the depending skirt of the outer shell, thereby keeping said inner disc in fixed relation with said outer shell to prevent the separation of said parts, and indicia on said tongue for informing the user of the proper direction of twist of said tongue to effect removal of said bottle cap from a bottle.

4. A bottle cap having an outer shell with a top portion and a depending skirt with a curved shoulder therebetween, said depending skirt having crimps therein with spaces therebetween, said top portion having a tongue struck from the central portion of the material therein, said tongue having its edges rebent to form a rounded edge therearound, said top portion having an outer portion outwardly from and in the plane of said tongue, said tongue joined to said outer portion along a connecting portion, a score extending along one side of said connecting portion from the edge of said tongue across said outer portion and curved shoulder and into said skirt, an inner disc positioned within said outer shell in contacting relation with said outer portion of said outer shell, said inner disc having a recess therein for receiving the rebent edge of said tongue, a seal beneath said inner disc extending to and contacting the inner surface of the depending skirt of the outer shell, thereby keeping said inner disc in fixed relation with said outer shell to prevent the separation of said parts, and indicia on said tongue for informing the user of the proper direction of twist of said tongue to effect removal of said bottle cap from a bottle, said tongue adapted to be lifted and twisted to completely tear the outer shell along said score from the inner portion of said score to the bottom edge of said skirt.

5. The .bottle cap set forth in claim 1 wherein said score extends at an angle with respect to a radial line drawn from the center of said bottle cap to the inner edge of said score, said score extending into the skirt Within the outward projection of said connecting portion.

6. The bottle cap set forth in claim 1 wherein said indicia is o-n said tongue, said tongue having its edges re- 5 provide a seal and a connection between the outer shell and the inner disc..

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1951 Underwood v 215-46 XR 3,199,705 8/1965 Brockett 215-46 JOSEPH D. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

bent inwardly to form an annular rebent portion, said re- 15 D. F. NORTON, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A BOTTLE CAP HAVING AN OUTER SHELL WITH A TOP PORTION AND A DEPENDING SKIRT, SAID TOP PORTION HAVING A TONGUE IN THE CENTRAL PORTION THEREOF, SAID TONGUE HAVING ITS EDGES REBENT TO FORM A ROUNDED EDGE THEREAROUND, SAID TOP PORTION HAVING AN OUTER PORTION OUTWARDLY FROM AND IN THE PLANE OF SAID TONGUE, SAID TONGUE JOINED TO SAID OUTER PORTION ALONG A CONNECTING PORTION, A SCORE EXTENDING ALONG ONE SIDE OF SAID CONNECTING PORTION FROM THE EDGE OF SAID TONGUE ACROSS SAID OUTER PORTION AND INTO SAID SKIRT, AN INNER DISC POSITIONED WITHIN SAID OUTER SHELL IN CONTACTING RELATION WITH SAID OUTER PORTION OF SAID OUTER SHELL, SAID INNER DISC BEING IN PARALLEL RELATION WITH SAID TONGUE, A SEAL BENEATH SAID INNER DISC EXTENDING TO THE INNER SURFACE OF THE DEPENDING SKIRT OF THE SHELL, THEREBY MAINTAINING SAID INNER DISC IN FIXED RELATION WITH SAID OUTER SHELL OF PREVENT THE SEPARATION OF SAID PARTS, AND INDICIA ON SAID BOTTLE CAP FOR INFORMING THE USER OF THE PROPER DIRECTION OF TWIST OF SAID TONGUE TO EFFECT REMOVAL OF SAID BOTTLE CAP FROM A BOTTLE. 